Ford Motor Company and BlackBerry are teaming up to introduce new in-car software beyond the scope of Ford’s SYNC infotainment system, the latest version of which was built upon BlackBerry’s QNX Unix-like OS.
According to The Detroit News, BlackBerry Senior VP and Head of QNX John Wall said Monday that the company will work with Ford toward other automotive applications of the QNX system, which could include active safety and autonomous-driving systems. Granted, neither Ford nor BlackBerry would comment on when, where, or how QNX will be incorporated in the future.
“We’re starting to work with Ford now,” says Wall. “The possibilities of where we can be used in the vehicle is basically in the entire vehicle.”
Ford’s new, QNX-based SYNC 3 infotainment has been widely praised for its smooth operation and interface simplicity. BlackBerry’s QNX software also features a “layered approach to security,” according to Wall, with a system of checks and balances.
While neither Ford nor BlackBerry are free to comment on the nature of their future relationship, BlackBerry already offers an automotive product called “QNX OS for Safety,” which “gives Tier 1 suppliers and automakers a reliable foundation for meeting the requirements of safety-critical automotive applications such as digital instrument clusters and advanced driver assist systems,” according to the product brief.
Ford will not be granted exclusive rights to utilize QNX within its passenger vehicles, reports The Detroit News. The operating system can already be found in as many as 60 million vehicles worldwide.
No Comments yet